Reality Bites
by raggedyponds
Summary: After her father's death, Stella Martin packed up and moved as far away as possible from her hometown. But now, she's back, and things in Beacon Hills aren't exactly how she remembers them. Over time, she finds that the things that keep happening in her once-quiet town are almost... supernatural.


**Author's Note:** Okay, I would just like to say that this chapter does, in fact, suck. But in my defense, I think the first chapter is always the hardest. Am I right? I hope you guys can see past the crappy introduction and I will see you soon!

* * *

**Reality Bites:** After her father's death, Stella Martin packed up and moved as far away as possible from her hometown. But now, she's back, and things in Beacon Hills aren't exactly how she remembers them. Over time, she finds that the things that keep happening in her once-quiet town are almost... supernatural.

* * *

**Chapter 1** - _Old Friends and First Days_

* * *

She didn't want to get up. She wanted to stay in bed for several more hours, dreaming of riding a unicorn, Matt Smith's bowtie-wearing Doctor feeding her chocolate covered strawberries, kicking ass with Captain America, or whatever it was that her mind had conjured up during that particular sleep cycle. She didn't want to get up, get dressed, and start a new day at a new school. Her mother, however, had different ideas.

"Stella, it's time to get up," said Mrs. Martin as she gently shook her daughter awake. "I hate to wake you, sweetie, but you've got to start your new school today." Her words were met with a load groan, which caused the older Martin to laugh gently. "If you don't get up now, you'll be met with a very moody Lydia, and I don't think either of us want to see that; especially this early in the morning." Almost immediately, Stella sat up straight, rubbing her eyes and yawning quietly.

"I'm up, I'm up!"

"That's what I thought," grinned her mother as she started to leave the room, "Get ready, babe. Lydia will be here in half an hour."

Stella nodded – despite the fact that her mother had already left – and stood up slowly, succeeding in getting tangled in her blankets and falling flat on her face. After she had regained her composure and made sure she hadn't broken any bones (that was _just_ what she needed on her first day), she made her way into the bathroom, intending to brush her teeth and have a quick wash. She scrubbed at her skin and hair in the shower using the honey and apricot gel and shampoo set Lydia had given her as a little "welcome back" treat. She hated to admit it – and she never would in the presence of Lydia – but it smelt pretty incredible.

By the time Stella had gotten out of the shower and wrapped herself in her soft dressing gown, she saw that she still had 15 minutes left until Lydia's ETA. She chose to use her free time wisely; using it to dry and brush out her hair until finally; there was a knock on her bedroom door.

"Come in!" she called and in walked Lydia – dressed in a blue blouse and a plaid skirt – with a huge smile on her face.

"Good morning, sunshine!" she sang before immediately walking over to Stella's closet and sifting through the various outfit choices.

"How can you possibly be so happy at 7am?" Stella asked as she watched her cousin in apprehension.

"Because today is the day I finally get to see the look on everyone's faces at school when they see my hot cousin," Lydia sighed wistfully, "It's going to be amazing."

"I'm pretty sure all eyes will be on you," Stella replied sceptically, "Isn't that how it used to work?"

"Well, yeah, obviously. But after they're done looking at _me_, their eyes will fall straight on _you_," smiled Lydia as she gestured towards her cousin flippantly.

"You're so considerate," the brunette smiled sardonically while tilting her head to the side.

If Lydia knew that her cousin was being sarcastic, she didn't show it. Instead, she just heaved a dramatic sigh and nodded. "I know, right? Now," She paused to toss several items of clothing at the unsuspecting girl in front of her. "Put those on!"

"Yes ma'am," Stella grumbled teasingly before grabbing the materials off of the floor and padding her way back to the bathroom. She got changed quickly – knowing that Lydia wouldn't appreciate it if she took up _too_ much time – and when she returned back to her bedroom in her simple baby blue shirt tucked into her navy floral skirt, her cousin squealed.

"Perfect!" the ginger grinned before holding out a pair of socks and shoes for her cousin to wear.

Smiling appreciatively, Stella pushed her feet into the frilly white socks and brown ankle boots before taking a seat on her bed.

"Now, this is crucial; how are you going to do your hair?" Lydia asked as she grabbed Stella's hairbrush and began to pull it gently through the younger girl's hair.

"Uh, I'm not sure. Maybe a braid?" Stella asked hesitantly. She wasn't quite as "in the loop" with the latest trends as Lydia was.

"Perfect, perfect, perfect!" Lydia squealed once more, "I can help you if you'd like?"

Stella nodded quickly. Despite how easy it may seem, she could never quite get her hair to sit properly but with an expert like Lydia at hand, she may just catch a break.

* * *

It didn't take long for Lydia to do Stella's hair and make-up for the day and by the time they had finished, it was only 7:30. They still had plenty of time to get to school.

"Oh, don't you two look gorgeous?" Stella's mother grinned as her daughter and niece made their way downstairs.

"Thanks, Aunt Megan," Lydia smiled before wandering over to the fridge to grab two bottles of water for herself and Stella.

"Thanks, Mom," Stella agreed as she glanced at her reflection in the glass of the microwave. Her hair was sitting perfectly – thanks to Lydia. The waves cascaded down her back and the halo braid sat immobile on the crown of her head, making her hair look effortless when in reality, it actually took around 20 minutes to complete.

"We're gonna head out now," Lydia told her Aunt as she slipped one of the water bottles into her bag, and one into Stella's brown satchel. "We want to get there on time so that Stella can get her schedule and make sure everything is ready."

Megan Martin nodded understandingly before turning to her daughter. "Remember not to be nervous, sweetie. You'll be fine."

"I know, Mom," Stella agreed as she slipped on her coat, despite the fact that she was starting to feel a little sick at the mere thought of starting a new school.

Her mother smiled, pressed a kiss to her forehead and patted her shoulder. "Now, on you go! You don't want to be late."

"Bye!" Stella smiled as she grabbed her bag and ran for the front door.

"See you later, Aunt Megan," Lydia grinned before following her cousin outside to her car, where Stella had already clambered inside and was sitting with her arms wrapped tightly around her bag in fear. Lydia would have thought she was dead if it wasn't for the gentle rise and fall of her chest as she breathed in and out.

Rolling her eyes in both a loving and patronising way, Lydia opened the door and slid into the driver's seat, making sure to click in her seatbelt before she reversed out of the driveway and making the short drive to the school. Throughout the journey, Stella stayed put in the exact same position Lydia had found her in just a few moments before. She didn't even flinch when Lydia blasted the horn and yelled at another driver for being a "stupid bitch who needs to sort her roots out", or even when she switched on the radio and began to sing at the top of her lungs.

When the ginger girl finally pulled into the school's parking lot, she was beginning to worry about her cousin and so she reached over, and gave Stella a small poke.

"Hellooo?" Lydia asked, dragging out the last syllable for emphasis. "Anybody alive in there?"

"What if nobody remembers me?" Stella said suddenly. It was the first thing she had uttered since leaving the house which is most likely why Lydia almost jumped out of her skin at the sound of her voice.

"What?"

"What if nobody remembers me?" She repeated. "Or what if they do remember me and hate me all of a sudden? Or what if I get lost? Or –"

"Okay, sparky, calm down," Lydia said as a soft tone that most people never hear began to seep into her voice. "Everyone will remember you. You know why? Because you are Stella Grace Martin; everybody loved you before you left, and they will love you now."

With a small nod of her head, Stella loosened her grip on her bag with a sigh. She didn't necessarily believe her cousins words, but they still made her feel slightly better than she did when she first saw the school building looming ominously in the bright morning sun.

"Okay," she nodded though her voice was somewhat weak, "Let's get this over with."

Together, the two cousins clambered out of the car and Lydia – who Stella noticed practically oozed confidence – linked their arms before leading the way towards the school's entrance. As the doors began to get closer and closer, Stella took deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself down. _In through the nose, out through the mouth_, Stella reminded herself. Dr. Foster would be proud.

Lydia then stopped walking abruptly, causing Stella to trip over her own feet and almost fall flat on her face for the second time that morning. Luckily, the ginger caught her before she could do any damage to herself and, after doing a quick scope of the area to make sure nobody noticed, she sighed. "Okay, you remember what I used to tell you about entrances, right?"

The brunette frowned. "It's right there," she said in confusion with a small gesture towards the blue doors that were practically taunting her for being so scared.

"No, I meant _how_ to make an entrance, not where the entrance is," Lydia corrected with a growing irritation.

"Oh," Stella said with realisation before her eyes widened considerably, "Shit. I don't know how to make an entrance… I didn't even know I _had _to make an entrance."

"Oh, my dear sweet cousin," Lydia smiled almost a little too sweetly as she gently fixed the position of Stella's hair. "Watch and learn." And with that, she let her grip on her cousin go, flipping her hair over her shoulder and strutting towards the school with all the elegance of a full-time model. Stella smiled weakly as she watched her cousin before gripping tightly onto her bag. "This too shall pass," she mumbled to herself before following in the redhead's footsteps. She didn't strut – that wasn't exactly her style – but she made sure to keep her head up, thinking that if she _looked_ confident enough, maybe she would start to feel it, too. The several pairs of eyes that watched Lydia as she passed then moved to Stella herself, some with confusion and others with envy. After all, to them, she was the new girl. And seeing that the new girl was already in with Lydia Martin? They had every right to be baffled.

But there was one pair of eyes that remained on her cousin and they belonged to a boy with a buzzcut hairstyle and what she assumed to be a Captain America-esque shirt. He looked somewhat familiar, but then again, so did half the people at the school. (She _had_ lived here for nine years previously, after all.) As Lydia flounced past him with her hair bouncing, Stella heard the boy call after her.

"Hey Lydia!" He called hopefully. "You look... like you're gonna ignore me." The boy then turned to his friend with a face of despair. "You're the cause of this, you know?"

"Uh-huh," his floppy-haired friend answered, vaguely amused.

"Dragging me down to your nerd depth!" the boy continued. "I'm a nerd by association."

"You've been scarlet-nerded," Stella called as she walked past the pair.

"Exactly!" He nodded without a single glance over his shoulder. It actually took him a few seconds to realise that it wasn't his best friend that had just spoken. "Wait, what?" With a frown, the boy turned to see a dark-haired girl a few steps in front of them. Scott could practically smell the nerves coming from her.

"Like you said, your friend here made you a nerd by association. Therefore, you've been scarlet-nerded," Stella shrugged before glancing back towards the school building. "I better go. Lydia will kill me if I'm not in the building within the next 60 seconds. I hope I helped you make your point!" With a quick smile, the girl did a sharp turn and ascended the steps leading to the school doors, being extra careful so that she didn't trip yet again.

"Th-thank you, kind stranger!" called the buzzcut boy. Stella didn't have to look round to know that his eyebrows were most likely furrowed in confusion.

The inside of the school building looked the same as any other school she had ever entered, except this time – she noticed – the students all had lockers. This sadly sent a small thrill through Stella's spine. Call her a nerd if you'd like, but she had never had a locker before, though she had tried to persuade her old school to install them… It never worked.

Looking around, she suddenly realised that she had absolutely no idea where she was going. She knew she had to go to the office to get her schedule and locker information, but where the office was? She had no clue. Deciding that she had no other choice but to ask for help, she sought out the person with the kindest face and reached up to tap them on the shoulder. Damn her height.

"Excuse me?" She said politely. "Could you tell me where the main office is?"

As the boy turned, his eyes widened. "Woah – Stella?"

Stella's eyebrows furrowed slightly before realisation hit her like a truck. "Oh my God! Danny?"

"I can't believe you're back! It's been like, what? Seven years?" Danny grinned, immediately pulling her into a comforting hug. He always did give the best hugs. Once he pulled away, he glanced down at Stella with a small shake of his head. "You look amazing."

"So do you!" Stella smiled, some of her nerves already melting away. Danny was always a comforting presence in her life and now that he was here again, she couldn't help but feel at ease.

"The main office is just down that corridor to the left," Danny said, pointing her in the right direction. "Don't be nervous. I'll try and find you at lunch, okay?"

"Thanks, Danny," Stella smiled, reaching up to give him a quick kiss on the cheek before wandering off towards the office. When she entered, the woman at the desk lifted her head and smiled automatically. Stella figured this must be the usually routine she has with the new students.

"Hello. Can I help you?"

"Hi," Stella smiled weakly. "I'm Stella Martin; I'm a new student here. I was told to come by the office to get my schedule and everything."

As she spoke, the secretary began to search through the pages on her desk. "Ah, yes! Stella Martin," the older woman nodded before passing some of the pages to the brunette. "There is your schedule, along with your locker number and combination, and a map of the school. Though that usually just makes the students even more confused."

Stella laughed lightly as she nodded, glad that the secretary was trying her best to relax her slightly.

"I think the principal is just about to show around the other new student so if you leave now, I'm sure you could find them."

"Thank you," smiled Stella before she quickly turned and left the office. If she didn't find the principal now, she would probably never get to class.

As she glanced to her left, she saw a man in a suit stop outside a classroom with a young girl, who Stella assumed was her fellow new girl. Stella immediately jogged up to the pair; the nerves that had subsided earlier were quickly coming back. "Excuse me, I was told by the secretary to find you. I'm Stella Martin, the, uh," She glanced towards the girl next to her before continuing, "_other _new girl."

"Ah, Miss Martin," the man smiled politely. "I apologise for not waiting for you to arrive. I think Allison here was just a little anxious to get to her first class – which, coincidentally, she shares with you. I took the liberty of checking this morning."

That was when the dark-haired Allison finally spoke up. "Hi," she smiled sweetly, though Stella could see the nerves underneath. "I'm Allison Argent."

"Stella Martin."

"Well, it looks like you've already made a friend here, Allison. Now, let's get this over with, hm?" With a comforting smile, the principal entered the classroom which almost immediately fell into silence. "Class, these are our new students; Allison Argent and Stella Martin. Please do your best to make them feel welcome." With a small nod towards the two girls, Mr. Holden then left the room. Stella heard the whispers that had started up once the principal had said her name but whether they were due to recognition or just because she was related to Lydia, she wasn't sure.

"Just find some free seats, girls," said the teacher at the front of the class, gesturing towards the back of the room. When Stella reached her seat, she realised that she was sitting directly behind the buzzcut boy. (And yes, that really was the nickname she had given him.)

"Thanks," she heard Allison – who had taken the seat to her right – say quietly. When she turned, she saw her fellow newbie take a pen from the boy in front of her who, funnily enough, was the buzzcut boy's friend from earlier that morning.

Well, it was all just coming together now, wasn't it?

* * *

The rest of the day passed by and all in all, it was pretty uneventful for Stella. She had caught up with both Danny and Jackson, and had even managed to make friends with Allison (who was just as sweet as she had first assumed) all while actively avoiding the boy from that morning. Stella had noticed the way his eyes had widened at the sound of her surname and she knew what was running through his head at that moment. And she wasn't going to be that girl. She wasn't going to be the one that got used by guys so that they could get closer to her cousin. She refused.

"Ah, there you are!" Lydia smiled as she walked up to the pair of dark-haired girls with her boyfriend on her arm. She opened her mouth to scold her cousin for disappearing before she changed her mind. "That jacket is absolutely killer," the redhead said as she gestured towards Allison. "Where did you get it?"

Allison's eyes widened slightly before she regained her composure. "My mom was a buyer for a boutique back in San Francisco."

"And _you_ are my new best friend," Lydia smiled. "Sorry, Stells."

"Oh, no problem. I'll just hang out with my buddy Jackson here. Right, Whittemore?" Stella said with a raise of her eyebrows.

Jackson rolled his eyes fondly. Back before she moved away, Jackson and Stella had actually been pretty close. He was, in a way, sort of like the older brother she never had. Though she did admit that he could be a massive dick sometimes. "Don't be a dork, Martin."

"So, this weekend, there's a party," Lydia started, clearly bored with the current conversation.

"A party?" Allison asked nervously.

"Yeah, Friday night," Stella nodded, having heard about the party several times before.

"You should come," Jackson added.

"Oh, I can't," shrugged Allison and Stella swore she could practically hear the cogs turning in her brain as she searched for an excuse, "It's family night on Friday. But thanks for asking."

"You sure? Everyone's going after the scrimmage," Jackson said, as if that were going to convince her.

"You mean like football?"

Stella snorted. Oh, she was in for it now.

Jackson sneered, "Football's a joke at Beacon. The sport here is lacrosse. We've won the state championship for the past three years."

"Because of a certain team captain," Lydia grinned proudly as she played with Jackson's hair.

"You ever watch lacrosse?" Stella asked as politely as she could. She had never seen a full game herself, but she had watched Jackson practice several times that summer.

"I'm actually not sure how it's played other than – well, violently," Allison answered truthfully.

"You should come see for yourself," Jackson offered. "We have practice in a few minutes. That is, if you don't have anything else..."

"Well, I was going to –" Allison started.

"Perfect! You're coming." Lydia said as she grabbed Allison's arm and began to tug her in the right direction. Stella and Jackson shared an eye roll before finally following suit.

* * *

Stella was freezing. She may have been wearing a coat and she may have stolen one of Lydia's scarves but she was almost certain that she wouldn't be able to feel her fingers by the end of the day. Damn the cold. And damn Lydia Martin.

"Who is that?" Allison asked, successfully breaking Stella out of her internal rant.

The brunette followed her new friend's gaze and saw the floppy-haired boy that – for some reason – kept showing up in Stella's life.

"Him?" Lydia asked with a casual gesture. "I'm not sure who he is. Why?"

Allison shrugged as she tried to cover up the blush that was forcing its way onto her face. "He's in our English class."

The boy in question then looked up towards the trio, almost as if he could hear them speaking. Stella frowned slightly. Either that was freakishly good timing, or he had the best hearing in the world. She figured it was the former.

Her thoughts were cut off quickly as the coach blew his whistle, causing the boy to flinch and bounce on his heels in preparation.

The players all lined up – Jackson included – and the first boy charged forward, hurling the ball towards the goal. But, sadly, the floppy-haired wonder looked up a little too late and the ball hit straight off of his helmet and landed in the net. Stella winced and shared a worried look with Allison. Lydia, however, remained impassive.

Clearly embarrassed, the boy began to seal himself for the next player. When the whistle blew once more, he was ready. The next player then ran, firing the ball straight towards the goal. Stella flinched but really, there was no need. Because the boy caught it. He caught the ball.

When the next player takes the shot, he catches the ball again. And then again. And again. Nothing can get past him.

On the bleachers, the trio of friends sat forward to get a closer look.

"He's good," Stella commented. She was actually almost… _proud _of the stranger.

"Very good," Lydia added with a small smirk.

But then Jackson decided to push his way to the front of the line. Now, she may have been friends with him in a way, but Stella knew that Jackson fought dirty. She could only hope that he wouldn't hurt the poor goalie.

In the blink of an eye, Jackson launched forward, catching the ball from the assistant coach and firing it towards the goal. Towards the boy. But the goalie moved quickly – so quickly that Stella thought she was hallucinating –and the ball landed right in the pocket of the player's stick.

Stella's eyes widened and both she and Lydia jumped to their feet, letting out a loud cheer. Allison just laughed; applauding with a shocked looked on her face. As they cheered, Stella noticed the buzzcut boy jump up from his seat on the bench, cheering even more loudly than the pair of cousins themselves. She shook her head in amusement at the boy before turning to see Jackson glaring at his girlfriend. Lydia simply shrugged and stared back with a sly smile.

* * *

At home, after assuring her mother that yes, her day was fine and that yes, she _had_ made new friends, Stella had gotten changed into her running gear and was now jogging through the forest at a leisurely pace.

She had just been jogging for a mere 15 minutes when she heard it.

"I swear this was it," she heard a voice say. "The body was here. The deer came running, I dropped my inhaler…"

As he spoke, Stella moved quietly – well, as quietly as she could when she was standing on crunchy leaves – towards them, keeping her presence hidden as she stood behind a tree. When she got closer, she noticed that the voices belonged to the two boys who just keep showing up in her life. Why did everything around here revolve around them?

"Maybe the killer moved the body," said buzzcut.

Wait, what?

"If he did, I hope he left my inhaler," said his friend from his crouched position on the ground. "Those things are like eighty bucks."

"What are you doing here?" said a third voice that made Stella jump and let out a small squeal. Luckily, none of the others noticed. The voice belonged to a man slightly older than Stella herself. He was dressed in a leather jacket, and had a slightly rougher look than the other cleanly shaven boys she had seen that morning. "This is private property."

"Uh, sorry, man. We didn't know," said buzzcut nervously.

The older man barely looked at him as he spoke. Instead, he chose to stare at the other boy.

"We were just looking for something. Forget it. Sorry to bother you."

Just as the pair turned to leave, the older man tossed an object – an inhaler – towards the lacrosse player and shook his head. "Just get out of here. And take her with you."

After sharing a look of confusion, the two boys turned to find Stella, doing her best to look as inconspicuous as possible. In fact, she was actually feigning interest in the tree next to her as if it were the most fascinating object she had ever seen. But she couldn't keep up the act forever, and whenever it reached the point where she could practically feel their gazes burning into the side of her head, she turned to face them with an awkward smile.

"Uh, hi there."


End file.
